Embarrassed In Texas. . . . Again :-(

"A former state representative from Texas lashed out at Gov. Greg Abbott for his decision to have Texas troops monitor the U.S. Military as it runs drills across the Lone Star State this summer."

"Abbott's order came after Texans, online and in person, voiced stringent distrust and fear of the military, which they feared would turn against them to serve the interests of the federal government. Todd Smith, a 16-year member of the Texas House from near Fort Worth, wrote a scathing open letter to the governor."

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U.S. Special Forces are shown here in training in January. (Photo released by U.S. Army Special Operations Command)

Two months after news surfaced that U.S. Special Operations troops will launch a broad training operation in several southwestern states this summer, the Texas state government is registering new concerns: Gov. Greg Abbott called Tuesday for the Texas State Guard to monitor the mission.

Abbott, a Republican, said in a letter to Maj. Gen. Gerald “Jake” Betty that he wants monitoring of Operation Jade Helm 15 “to address concerns of Texas citizens and to ensure that Texas communities remain safe, secure and informed occurring in their vicinity.” It marks the first time that a state governor has responded to outrage from those who fear the training exercise isn’t what the military promises.

“During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed,” Abbott wrote. “By monitoring the Operation on a continual basis, the State Guard will facilitate communication between my office and commanders of the Operation to ensure that adequate measures are in place to protect Texans.”

The State Guard falls under the command of the Texas National Guard and the governor, and is focused on providing support to local authorities in times of crisis. It is considered an organized, legal state militia.

This map shows the military’s plan during the exercise Jade Helm 15, which begins in July. (U.S. Army Special Operations Command map)

As Checkpoint noted in March, the military has routinely launched exercises in which regions of the United States are identified as hostile for the purpose of training. But conspiracy theories continue to persist. Some have even hypothesized that the rioting in Baltimore is actually a cover for the military to take over through Jade Helm 15:

U.S. military officials have tried to tamp down the speculation. Army Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, appeared on Monday at an informational meeting in Bastrop, Tex., and fielded a variety of pointed questions, according to the Statesman newspaper.

“You may have issues with the administration. So be it. But this institution right here has been with you for over 200 years,” Lastoria said at one point, according to the newspaper. “I’ve worn this uniform across five different administrations for 27 years.”

Lastoria has said repeatedly that the exercise is designed to prepare U.S. Special Operations troops to handle foreign threats.

Some photos of the event reflect the level of skepticism among Texas residents:

Bob Welch holds a sign at a public hearing about the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise in Bastrop, Tex., on Monday. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

People listen at a public hearing about the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise in Bastrop, Tex., on Monday. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Bob Welch, standing at left, and Jim Dillon, hold a sign at a public hearing about the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise in Bastrop, Tex., on Monday. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

The outrage and conflicting information raise questions about the safety of U.S. troops involved in the exercise. Some have drawn parallels on social media to a 2002 incident in which a sheriff’s deputy in North Carolina shot two U.S. Special Forces soldiers in civilian clothing after they tried to disarm him. One of the soldiers was killed. They thought he was part of a role-playing exercise known as Robin Sage, which is a major training event for Green Beret soldiers, officials said at the time.

In 2009, the family of the soldier killed reached a financial settlement with the Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina and the former deputy involved, Randall Butler, according to news reports at the time.

Dan Lamothe covers national security for The Washington Post and anchors its military blog, Checkpoint.

Texas governor orders troops to 'monitor' Jade Helm

Bob Welch holds a sign at a public hearing about the Jade Helm 15 military training exercise in Bastrop, Texas, Monday April 27, 2015. See the Texas towns that would be impacted by Operation Jade Helm.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered members of the Texas Military to monitor federal troops in an upcoming two-month training exercise planned for the Lone Star State.

Operation Jade Helm will bring the U.S. military's most elite soldiers, including the Green Berets and Navy SEALS, to Texas for simulated special operations in a hostile territory. But plans for the exercise have roused fears in many Texans of a federal occupation.

In a letter to Major General Gerald Betty of the Texas State Guard, Abbott said his order was "to address concerns of Texas citizens."

"During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property right and civil liberties will not be infringed," the governor wrote. "I am directing the Texas State Guard to monitor Operation Jade Helm 15."

The State Guard is a militia of volunteer reservists, headquartered at Camp Mabry in Austin, meant to serve in times of emergency or catastrophe. It is one of three branches of the Texas Military, a force commanded by the governor.

Chapter 431 of the Texas Government Code--"State Militia"--reads, "The governor may call all or part of the state military forces to repel or suppress an invasion of or insurrection in or threatened invasion of or insurrection in the state or if the governor considers it necessary to enforce state law. If the number of state military forces is insufficient, the governor shall call the part of the reserve militia that the governor considers necessary."

Officials with the State Guard said they'd been asked to monitor the federal troops in order to provide updates on the progress and safety of the operation, but hadn't yet developed a plan.

"We are always ready to answer the call of the Governor, and we are in the initial planning and coordination phase in response to the Governor's directive," a spokesperson said.

The announcement follows weeks of growing public outcry over the training event. Super right-wing news websites first circulated an Army document describing the planned exercise in March, and since then a broad theory of military plans to subdue Texans and institute martial law has emerged. At a weekend meeting of the commissioners' court of Bastrop County—one of 17 Texas counties that will see federal troops training between July and September, hundreds of citizens turned out to voice fear and anger with an Army spokesman.

At least two counties, Victoria and Goliad, have seen their portions of the exercise canceled by the Army, but officials with the Victoria County Sherriff's Office said they did not know why.

Army Special Operations Spokesman Mark Lastoria told the Chronicle that more than 1,000 troops would practice "emerging concepts in special operations warfare," and said expressed fears of soldiers in civilian areas "center around misinterpretations." The Washington Post has reported that past military exercises have seen U.S. troops treat domestic territory as hostile for the sake of training.

But it's done little to ease the fears of Texans highly distrustful of the federal government. In a press release, the governor said he hoped his deployment of Texas troops to monitor the exercises would comfort citizens.

"Directing the State Guard to monitor the Operation will allow Texas to be informed of the details of military personnel movements and training exercise schedules, and it will give us the ability to quickly and effectively communicate with local communities, law enforcement, public safety personnel and citizens," he wrote

Texas Governor Deploys State Guard To Stave Off Obama Takeover

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas National Guard to monitor a joint U.S. Special Forces training taking place in Texas, prompting outrage from some in his own party.

Eric Gay/AP

Since General Sam Houston executed his famous retreat to glory to defeat the superior forces of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Texas has been ground zero for military training. We have so many military bases in the Lone Star State we could practically attack Russia.

So when rookie Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he was ordering the Texas National Guard to monitor a Navy SEAL/Green Beret joint training exercise, which was taking place in Texas and several other states, everybody here looked up from their iPhones. What?

It seems there is concern among some folks that this so-called training maneuver is just a cover story. What's really going on? President Obama is about to use Special Forces to put Texas under martial law.

Let's walk over by the fence where nobody can hear us, and I'll tell you the story.

Don't take my word for it. That comes directly from a Texas Ranger, who seems pretty plugged in, if you ask me. You and I both know President Obama has been waiting a long time for this, and now it's happening. It's a classic false flag operation. Don't pay any attention the mainstream media; all they're going to do is lie and attack everyone who's trying to tell you the truth.

"It is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed upon."

- Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas

Did I mention the ISIS terrorists? They've come across the border and are going to hit soft targets all across the Southwest. They've set up camp a few miles outside of El Paso.

That includes a Mexican army officer and Mexican federal police inspector. Not sure what they're doing there, but probably nothing good. That's why the Special Forces guys are here, get it? To wipe out ISIS and impose martial law. So now you know, whaddya say we get back to the party and grab another beer?

It's true that the paranoid world-view of right-wing militia types has remarkable stamina. But that's not news.

What is news is that there seem to be enough of them in Texas to influence the governor of the state to react — some might use the word pander — to them.

That started Monday when a public briefing by the Army in Bastrop County, which is just east of Austin, got raucous. The poor U.S. Army colonel probably just thought he was going to give a regular briefing, but instead 200 patriots shouted him down, told him he was a liar and grilled him about the imminent federal takeover of Texas and subsequent imposition of martial law.

"We just want to make sure our guys are trained. We want to hone our skills," Lt. Col. Mark Listoria tried to explain in vain.

One wonders what Listoria was thinking to himself as he walked to his car after two hours of his life he'll never get back. God bless Texas? Maybe not.

The next day Gov. Abbott decided he had to take action. He announced that he was going to ask the Texas State Guard to monitor Operation Jade Helm from start to finish.

"It is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed upon," Abbott said.

The idea that the Yankee military can't be trusted down here has a long and rich history in Texas. But that was a while back. Abbott's proclamation that he was going to keep his eye on these Navy SEAL and Green Beret boys did rub some of our leaders the wrong way.

Former Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst tried to put it in perspective for outsiders when he explained, "Unfortunately, some Texans have projected their legitimate concerns about the competence and trustworthiness of President Barack Obama on these noble warriors. This must stop."

"Your letter pandering to idiots ... has left me livid," former State Rep. Todd Smith wrote Gov. Abbott. "I am horrified that I have to choose between the possibility that my Governor actually believes this stuff and the possibility that my Governor doesn't have the backbone to stand up to those who do."

There's no argument that after the 2014 election, Texas politics took a further step to the right. The 84th session of the state legislature has given ample proof of that. But the events of this last week have been an eye-opener for Texans of all political stripes.

You will find the names of Texans etched into marble at war memorials from Goliad to Gettysburg, from Verdun to the Ardennes and Washington, D.C. The governor's proposition that these soldiers and sailors constitute a potential threat and need watching as they go about their duties, certainly stakes out some new political ground for the leader of the Texas GOP to stand on.